Overview - Surah 40: Ghafir (The Forgiver)
There are seven Surahs (al-Mu'min, HaMim al-Sajdah, al-Shura, al-Zukhruf, al-Dukhan, al-Jathiyah, al-Ahqaf) that begin with the word "HaMim". Thus these seven Surahs are also called "al-Hawamim". These are Surahs of Da'wah, inviting people to believe in Allah, take advantage of the mercy of Allah. There is solace and comfort in these Surahs for the Believers who were persecuted because of their faith and they are given the good news that the truth will prevail.
Sections:
- The Qur'an is from Allah who is both Merciful and Severe in Punishment. Warnings to the non-believers and comfort to the believers.
- The failure of the disbelievers. The Day of Judgment belongs to Allah.
- A lesson from the history of Prophet Moses -peace be upon him. Even the mighty Pharaoh and his army could not help him against the wrath of Allah.
- A Believer from the Pharaoh's people declared his faith. His conversation with his people.
- The false leaders will take their people to hell.
- Allah helps the Prophets and their followers.
- The Glory of Allah. Allah has power over life and death.
- The fate of the un-believers will be bad.
- Take lessons from the past history. After the judgment comes, repentance makes no difference.
The Surah has two common names. One is Ghafir [Forgiver] and the other is al-Mu'min [The Believer].
The following Surahs all have the letters, Ha-Meem as their opening Ayaat and interestingly what is common to all of them is their mentioning of the Prophet Musa. These Surahs are;
Surah 40: al-Ghafir
Surah 41: Fussilat
Surah 42: Shurah
Surah 43: Zukhruf
Surah 44: Dukhan
Surah 45: Jathiyah
Surah 46: al-Ahqaaf
There are 85 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 85 |
| Total Words * | 1219 |
| Root Words * | 265 |
| Unique Root Words * | 1 |
| Makki / Madani | Makki |
| Chronological Order* | 60th (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | 9th year of Prophethood |
| Events during/before this Surah*
Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 3, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 2, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 1, 2nd Migration to Abyssinia, Physical beating and torture of some Muslims - 1st Migration of Muslims to Abyssinia, Public Invitation to Islam - Persecution of Muslims; antagonism - ridicule - derision - accusation - abuse and false propaganda., Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam
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| Events during/after still to occur*
Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey,1st Pledge of Aqabah,2nd Pledge of Aqabah,,Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah,Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhud,,Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah,Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers,,Conquest of Makkah - Battle of Hunain,Hajj led by Abu Bakr - Expedition of Tabuk,Farewell Hajj by Prophet - Death of Prophet - End of Divine Revelation
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| Names of Prophets Mentioned
Nuh, Yusuf, Musa
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| Surah Index
Adversity (patience during) , God (ability to do anything) , God (wills no wrong to His creation) , Apostasy (repentance) (on Judgement Day is too late), Children, Children (in Heaven) , Children (of Israel) , Death, Disbelievers, Disbelievers (God’s promise to) , Earth, Earth (creation and recreation of) , Embryology, Food, Haman, Hell, Humankind (creation of) (from a drop of sperm), Humankind (creation of) (from dust), Humankind (insignificant compared to the Universe) , Joseph, Judgement, Judgement (Day) , Judgement (Day) (repentance then is too late), Knowledge (obligation upon man to obtain and impart) , Life (good things made lawful) , Livestock, Marriage (recline with spouses in Paradise) , Moses, Noah, Pharaoh, Prophet (miracles only by God’s leave) , Prophet (some not mentioned) , Qarun, Religion, Resurrection (Day) , Resurrection (of soul) , Revelation, Sexes (equality of) , Ships, Sin, Thamud, Weather (rain)
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Theme 1: The importance of Dawah [calling] to Allah.
- The beginning of Surat Ghafir contains: "The forgiver of sin, the acceptor of repentance, severe in punishment, owner of abundance. There is no deity except Him; to Him is the destination." (40:3). In its end, Allah mentions that when the disbelievers saw His punishment they said: "We believe in Allah." (40:84) This will occur in the hereafter, and thus this belief will be of no benefit because Allah presented to them everything that leads on to Iman and repentance in the worldly life. So when they were resolute on their disbelief, their end was to punishment and fire, with repentance and belief then being of no avail to them.
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
1st/2nd Century AH
1st/2nd Century AH
19th Century
19th Century
17th Century
17th Century
- Surah az-Zumar and Surah Ghafir both begin with the mention of making the Din purely for Him - مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ
-إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ فَاعْبُدِ اللَّـهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ الدِّينَ "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, [O Muhammad], in truth. So worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion." (39:2)
فَادْعُوا اللَّـهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ "So invoke Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, although the disbelievers dislike it." (40:14) (40:65)
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = 1* | ||
| # | Root Word | Frequency in Surah | Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | أ ل ه | 57 | 2851 |
| 2. | ٱلَّذِى | 36 | 1464 |
| 3. | ك و ن | 25 | 1390 |
| 4. | ق و ل | 25 | 1722 |
| 5. | ر ب ب | 19 | 980 |
| 6. | د ع و | 18 | 212 |
| 7. | أ م ن | 17 | 879 |
| 8. | ي و م | 15 | 405 |
| 9. | إِلَّا | 13 | 663 |
| 10. | إِلَىٰ | 13 | 742 |
| Root Word | Frequency in Surah |
Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| أ ل ه | 57 | 2851 |
| ٱلَّذِى | 36 | 1464 |
| ك و ن | 25 | 1390 |
| ق و ل | 25 | 1722 |
| ر ب ب | 19 | 980 |
| د ع و | 18 | 212 |
| أ م ن | 17 | 879 |
| ي و م | 15 | 405 |
| إِلَّا | 13 | 663 |
| إِلَىٰ | 13 | 742 |
There are clear indications in the subject matter of this Surah to the conditions in which it was revealed. The disbelievers of Makkah at that time were engaged in two kinds of the activities against the Prophet. First, they were creating suspicion and misgiving in the minds of the people about the teaching of the Qur’an and the message of Islam and about the Prophet himself by starting many disputes and discussions, raising irrelevant objections and bringing ever new accusations so that the Prophet and the believers were sick of trying to answer them. Secondly, they were preparing the ground for putting an end to the Prophet himself. They were devising one plot after another, and on one occasion had even taken the practical steps to execute a plot. There is a hadith on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As, saying that, one day when the Prophet was offering his prayers in the precincts of the Ka’bah, suddenly ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu’ait, rushed forward and putting a piece of cloth round his neck started twisting it so as to strangle him to death. Abu Bakr, who happened to go there in time, pushed him away. Abdullah says that when Abu Bakr was struggling with the man, he was saying words to the effect: “Would you kill a man only because he says: God is my Lord?”
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The following Surahs all have the letters, Ha-Meem as their opening Ayaat and interestingly what is common to all of them is their mentioning of the Prophet Musa. These Surahs are;
Surah 40: al-Ghafir
Surah 41: Fussilat
Surah 42: Shurah
Surah 43: Zukhruf
Surah 44: Dukhan
Surah 45: Jathiyah
Surah 46: al-Ahqaaf -
The angels who bear the throne of Allah pray for those humans who repent and follow the right way.
- A scene from the Day of Judgement.
- Allah knows the furtive looks and secret thoughts.
- Story of the Prophet Musa, Pharaoh, Haman and Qarun.
- An excellent speech of one of the relatives of Fir'on in favor of the Prophet Musa.
- Fir'on plotted against that relative, who was a believer, but Allah saved him and destroyed the people of Fir'on, and now they are presented before the fire of Hell every morning and evening.
- Allah says; "Call me, I will answer your prayers."
- No one has the right to be worshipped except Allah, the Creator and the Rabb of the world.
- Those who argue about the revelations of Allah will soon find out the Truth.
- Allah has sent many Rasools before Muhammad (pbuh): of them some are mentioned in the Qur'an and some are not.
- Belief after seeing the scourge of Allah is of no avail to the disbelievers.
Tafsir Zone
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Overview Verses 21 - 27) We outlined in the Prologue the theme discussed in this part of the surah. Before we discuss it in detail, we should observe that this episode from Moses' life story is closely intertwined with the main theme of the surah, and uses the same style even to the extent of employing the same phrases and expressions. The man from Pharaoh's household who concealed the fact that he was a believer following the true faith presents a number of ideas that have already been mentioned in the surah. He reminds Pharaoh, Haman and Korah that they were enjoying a life of comfort and authority, warning them against a fate similar to that which befell earlier communities and couples this with a warning against what may happen to them on the Day of Resurrection. He also refers to those who dispute God's revelations and how God loathes them, as do the believers; a fact also already mentioned in the surah's first part. The surah then portrays their condition in hell, where they are humiliated, praying hard but without any response. A similar image was also given earlier. All this suggests that the logic of faith is the same across all generations, and all believers in all communities use the same arguments. This is only to be expected because the logic and the arguments are derived from the same truth. The surah, thus, carries the same ambience throughout, giving it its consistent and unique personality. Such uniqueness applies to each and every surah in the Qur'an. Citing an Historical Example Have they, then, never travelled through the land and beheld what happened in the end to those who lived before them? Greater were they in power than they are, and in the impact which they left on earth. God, however, took them to task for their sins, and they had none to defend them against God. That was because their messengers came to them with all the evidence of the truth, yet they rejected it. So God took them to task. He is Powerful, Stern in retribution. (Verses 21-22) These two verses provide a bridge between what has already been discussed in the surah and the story of Moses. It serves as a reminder to the Arabs, highlighting the lessons of history and directing them to go about in the land and reflect on the fate of those communities which in former times adopted the same attitude the Arabs showed towards the Prophet Muhammad and his message. It states that those communities commanded superior strength and left their mark on the land. Yet their weakness was all too clear when they faced God's might. Their sins isolated them from the source of true strength and rallied against them the forces of faith, supported by God's power: "God, however, took them to task for their sins, and they had none to defend them against God." (Verse 21) There is, in fact, no protection for anyone other than what is provided by faith and good action. To deny the Divine message and reject God's messengers and the clear evidence of the truth they provide will inevitably lead to ruin: "That was because their messengers came to them with all the evidence of the truth, yet they rejected it. So God took them to task. He is Powerful, Stern in retribution." (Verse 22) This general reference to earlier communities of unbelievers is followed by an example of such people whom God smote as a result of their sins. The example is provided by Pharaoh, Haman and Korah, together with other arrogant and tyrannical forces. This episode from Moses' life story may be divided into sections variously outlining attitudes and depicting scenes. It begins by presenting the message to Pharaoh and his notables, but finishes in the hereafter, when they argue as they suffer the punishment of hell. It is a very long journey, but the surah highlights certain scenes from it to drive home the idea. "We sent Moses with Our signs and a clear authority to Pharaoh, Himiin and Korah, but they said.- A sorcerer, a teller of lies." (Verses 23-24) This is the attitude adopted in the first encounter: Moses, equipped with the signs given to him by God, is held in awe by all around him due to the fact that he spoke the word of truth. On the other side, however, stood Pharaoh, Haman and Korah with their falsehood and apparent might, guarding their positions which they felt to be threatened by this power of truth. Therefore, they resort to false argument, seeking thus to defeat the truth: "They said: A sorcerer, a teller of lies." (Verse 24) |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
Mawdudi
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
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Overview Verses 21 - 27) We outlined in the Prologue the theme discussed in this part of the surah. Before we discuss it in detail, we should observe that this episode from Moses' life story is closely intertwined with the main theme of the surah, and uses the same style even to the extent of employing the same phrases and expressions. The man from Pharaoh's household who concealed the fact that he was a believer following the true faith presents a number of ideas that have already been mentioned in the surah. He reminds Pharaoh, Haman and Korah that they were enjoying a life of comfort and authority, warning them against a fate similar to that which befell earlier communities and couples this with a warning against what may happen to them on the Day of Resurrection. He also refers to those who dispute God's revelations and how God loathes them, as do the believers; a fact also already mentioned in the surah's first part. The surah then portrays their condition in hell, where they are humiliated, praying hard but without any response. A similar image was also given earlier. All this suggests that the logic of faith is the same across all generations, and all believers in all communities use the same arguments. This is only to be expected because the logic and the arguments are derived from the same truth. The surah, thus, carries the same ambience throughout, giving it its consistent and unique personality. Such uniqueness applies to each and every surah in the Qur'an. Citing an Historical Example Have they, then, never travelled through the land and beheld what happened in the end to those who lived before them? Greater were they in power than they are, and in the impact which they left on earth. God, however, took them to task for their sins, and they had none to defend them against God. That was because their messengers came to them with all the evidence of the truth, yet they rejected it. So God took them to task. He is Powerful, Stern in retribution. (Verses 21-22) These two verses provide a bridge between what has already been discussed in the surah and the story of Moses. It serves as a reminder to the Arabs, highlighting the lessons of history and directing them to go about in the land and reflect on the fate of those communities which in former times adopted the same attitude the Arabs showed towards the Prophet Muhammad and his message. It states that those communities commanded superior strength and left their mark on the land. Yet their weakness was all too clear when they faced God's might. Their sins isolated them from the source of true strength and rallied against them the forces of faith, supported by God's power: "God, however, took them to task for their sins, and they had none to defend them against God." (Verse 21) There is, in fact, no protection for anyone other than what is provided by faith and good action. To deny the Divine message and reject God's messengers and the clear evidence of the truth they provide will inevitably lead to ruin: "That was because their messengers came to them with all the evidence of the truth, yet they rejected it. So God took them to task. He is Powerful, Stern in retribution." (Verse 22) This general reference to earlier communities of unbelievers is followed by an example of such people whom God smote as a result of their sins. The example is provided by Pharaoh, Haman and Korah, together with other arrogant and tyrannical forces. This episode from Moses' life story may be divided into sections variously outlining attitudes and depicting scenes. It begins by presenting the message to Pharaoh and his notables, but finishes in the hereafter, when they argue as they suffer the punishment of hell. It is a very long journey, but the surah highlights certain scenes from it to drive home the idea. "We sent Moses with Our signs and a clear authority to Pharaoh, Himiin and Korah, but they said.- A sorcerer, a teller of lies." (Verses 23-24) This is the attitude adopted in the first encounter: Moses, equipped with the signs given to him by God, is held in awe by all around him due to the fact that he spoke the word of truth. On the other side, however, stood Pharaoh, Haman and Korah with their falsehood and apparent might, guarding their positions which they felt to be threatened by this power of truth. Therefore, they resort to false argument, seeking thus to defeat the truth: "They said: A sorcerer, a teller of lies." (Verse 24) |
- Surah 40. Ghafir - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Onjs1b4g8&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN&index=40
- Surah 40. Ghafir Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDvrxnUX38g&index=40&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM
- Surah 40. Ghafir Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZxSQZ-JvZA&index=40&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe
- Idris Akbar Surah Ghafir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY1b_q4bofQ
- Surah 40.Ghafir muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPMGO7guV1c&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG&index=40
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-M'umin (47) to Surah Al-Shura (1-13)1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv80yaqL00A&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=89
- Surah Al-M'umin (47) to Surah Al-Shura (1-13)2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8EU2FqF2tk&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=90
